Tag Archives: men’s style tips

The dreaded question: Should you wear brown shoes or black? Whether it is casual or dress, we often have a hard time determining what color shoe we should go with. Here are some helpful hints that will hopefully point you in the right direction.

1. Begin with the color of the clothing itself. If you are gearing toward mostly neutrals, the easiest option is brown. If you are in a gray or charcoal suit, the best choice would be black.

2. If wearing blue, things can get a little confusing. I recommend a black shoe with a darker navy or bold blue suit. If you are wearing a navy pant and sky blue dress shirt without a tie, try the more casual brown shoe.

3. Are you adding vibrant colors to your outfit such as red or purple? Generally these bold choices should lead you to the black shoe.

4. Ask yourself what belt seems appropriate? It is best to match your shoes to your belt when possible.

5. If you are wearing a lighter neutral suit, maybe try the black shoe and belt for a bold statement. If the dress is more casual, (sans suit), choose the brown.

When in doubt, ask someone. That is what the mirror selfie is for after all, right?

We all love a blue dress shirt but did you know that there are better shades of blue for each type of complexion?

Many men actually don’t even know what type of complexion they have. An easy way to decide is by using those cuff links. Find one piece of yellow gold and one piece of silver or white gold. Perhaps you already know which of the two look better on you. If you tend to wear yellow gold, chances are it is because your warm skin tone is complemented by the warmth of the gold tones. If you look better in silver tones or white metals, most likely you are in the cooler complexion category. If you look great in both, perhaps you have a medium skin tone.

Men with warm skin tones or darker complexions should give vibrant shades of blue such as teal and royal blues a try. No need to throw out those medium blue shirts or suits either. They will also look great on you but try a pop of color with the tie.

Royal Blue M1055Teal Blue M11564

Those with medium skin tones and less contrast between their hair color and skin tone should aim for styling with cooler shades of blue. A blue shirt with a silver undertone such as our dusty blue or french blue will look perfect on you. A sky blue will be complimented by a tie with touches of sapphire.

French Blue M1073Dusty Blue M1560

If your complexion is light and cool (high contrast between your hair and skin tone) chances are you will look best in a soft to medium blue with warm undertones. Try a dress blue and pair it with a tie featuring hints of warm orange or wine tones.

Dress Blue M1274

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Wearing pants sounds pretty simple, right? The thing is, many of us are getting it wrong. Very wrong. Although I don’t want to move into the “trendy” skinny pant zone, we should review some things you may not realize are aging you or even adding the illusion of an extra 10 pounds.

1. Skip the low rise.

Give a medium rise pant a try. Don’t wear the pants at your naval and don’t wear them hanging out over your hip bones either . If a pant fits in the waist and the rise, it will be somewhere in the middle and you will instantly notice how much more tailored they appear if the pants are sitting in the right spot.

2. Let go of the cuff.

A cuff is not mandatory. For one thing, the larger the cuff the shorter your legs appear. Losing the cuff altogether will instantly create the illusion of leg length.

3. Break some rules.

Try “no break” at the shoe with your next pair of dress slacks. In other words, no bunching of fabric on the top of your shoe. It should slide right over the shoe but not show your ankle.

4. Belt loops are made for belts.

Please wear a belt if you have belt loops. That’s all I can say about that.

5. Avoid the pleat like the plague.

Pleats may be your go-to as you think a flat front pant will create the side “pocket-pull” issue. The fact is, if the slanted side pocket is pulling, the pants are too small in the hip or seat area. If you ask around, you may start to realize that for one thing, pleated pants are dated and they actually make you look larger than you are. If you increase the size of the pant but try a flat front, you may be surprised at how much thinner you appear. Now I realize if you up the size of your pant, the waist may then be too large. Two options here. You can either have the waist taken in by a local tailor or you could give a custom pant a try.

When ordering a custom dress shirt with us, I often advise that a few styling option tips can go a long way. You may have always ordered a wide spread collar because you like they way your colleague looks in it. What if another option could help you appear thinner? Here are three small tricks to help you when you place your next order with us.

1. Get a shirt that truly fits.

Of course you should make sure the shirt fits in the chest and waist but has it occurred to you that the sleeve fullness of your shirt can also create the illusion that you are larger or smaller than you truly are?

2. Try a hidden button front style.

We refer to it as a “fly front” as in the fly on your pants. The buttons are hidden behind an extra strip of fabric. That crisp clean look down the front of your shirt can assist in making you appear thinner. Plus it just looks great!

3. Choose a point collar with a vertical stripe.

A point collar is a go-to for all face shapes as it typically works for everyone. It elongates the face a bit which will help you appear slimmer. A vertical stripe assists in the thinner illusion.

Now put them altogether by ordering a custom dress shirt with us! Get started here. Dress Well! Be Well! -Meghan Henley Follow me on Twitter @BestCustomShirt

As we head into the new year, we truly hope the worst men’s fashion trends of 2015 (and some that have continued into this year from years ago!) will finally come to an end. What are they and how can you avoid these awful faux pas?